Entity JSON encode and manually decode

In entity

Code:

protected $casts = [
    'courses'        => 'array',
    'courses_object' => 'json',
    'courses_array'  => 'json-array',
];

The posted array

Code:

courses = array{"bsc-bio", "bsc-bed", "bca"}

It inserted in database as

Code:

"a:3:{i:0;s:7:"bsc-bio";i:1;s:7:"bsc-bed";i:2;s:3:"bca";}"

How to manually decode it?

Code:

json_decode('a:3:{i:0;s:7:"bsc-bio";i:1;s:7:"bsc-bed";i:2;s:3:"bca";}')

json_decode() returns NULL.

That's not in json format, that's encoded with serialize(). You need to use unserialize() to decode it back to an array.

That's not in json format, that's encoded with serialize(). You need to use unserialize() to decode it back to an array.

Got it! Thanks.
The unserialize() worked perfectly.
But I am having following code in my Entity...

PHP Code:

protected $casts = [
    'courses'        => 'array',
    'courses_object' => 'json',
    'courses_array'  => 'json-array',
]; 


The CodeIgniter is using word 'json' here?

I don't know, I never used this feature. But 'courses' is cast to 'array', not 'json', maybe that's why it's serialized and not encoded in json?

A PHP json_encode array conversion example

PHP | json_encode() Function

What did you Try? What did you Get? What did you Expect?

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